Hazel and John Boath were decorating their garden at Salvesen Terrace when we met them.

They were preparing to celebrate HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in their garden of the house where they have lived for 30 years.

Hazel is a strong royalist. John says he respects the Queen but he is not so bothered about royalty. John explained that he was ten years old at the time of The Coronation and he has a shield and flags from 1953.

A former lighthouse keeper, one of the flags also has a lighthouse on it – it came from Bell’s Rock Lighthouse.

Hazel and John Boath in their garden. Photo: Ā© 2022, Martin P. McAdam www.martinmcadam.com

The Salvesen houses in Muirhouse were built for retired army personnel and lighthouse keepers, on land gifted by Christian Salvesen the Scottish whaling and shipping company which has a long history associated with Edinburgh with offices in Bernard Street in Leith.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.